Moments of Life
by cheary-kur
Summary: Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. A look at the special moments in the life of the Skellington family. ON INDEFINATE HIATUS.
1. Beggining of the Beginning, Pt 1

_**Disclaimer: Nightmare Before Christmas is the property of Tim Burton, Disney, and Touchstone Entertainment. Nothing you recognize belongs to me. **_

**The Beginning of the Beginning, Pt. 1**

"You're sure this will work?"

"I'm not sure of anything. Never have been." Dr. Finklestein leaned back in his wheelchair and regarded his skeletal visitor imperiously. "However, I am very nearly sure. And that, dear Jack, is the best we've got right now."

Jack Skellington drummed his fingers nervously on the arm of his chair. _What a fuss this has all become. _He looked over at Sally, whose brow was furrowed in confusion. Smiling slightly, he watched her anxiously pick at the stitching on her left wrist. Jack's wife noticed him staring and offered him a timid smile before turning her gaze back to the heavy and complicated machinery that was currently scattered about Dr. Finklestein's drab laboratory.

Jack also turned his attention to the equipment. "But Doctor… all this… for a child of our own? Surely there is…"

"There is _no other way_," shouted Dr. Finklestein, pounding his fist table to emphasize his last three words. "I have been working on this for months, and I believe I know what I'm doing better than you ever can!"

Jack straightened in his chair indignantly, and opened his mouth to retaliate.

"It just seems so very complicated, Doctor." Sally quickly jumped in before this already tense discussion broke out into a heated argument. Her soft voice diluted the anger billowing in the room.

"It seems _complicated, _Sally dear, because neither of you have the superior brain power that I possess." The Doctor tented his fingers against his temple and sighed. "I will explain this only One. Last. Time. Do you understand this?"

Jack seethed silently; Sally, however, who was rather used to Dr. Finklesteins occasional lapses in courtesy, simply nodded.

"Yes. Ahem. Well, as you know, the residents of Halloween Town are neither dead nor alive. Certain people who have died in the Past Life are chosen by the Ruler of the Worlds to inhabit Halloween Town. Each town is different in how they choose their residents." He nodded to Jack at this point. "You know this, Jack, because you have visited Christmas Town. There, they are alive, and can therefore reproduce. It simply depends on where you live, so to speak." The Doctor smirked.

"You two, however, are slightly different. Neither of you were chosen by the Ruler. I rescued you, Sally; and you, Jack, well, it's in your blood to be Pumpkin King. The Pumpkin Kings of the past have all been in your family line, starting with the very first King, Jack O'Lantern himself. Now, this royal line, as it were, would seem to have ended with you. Your past self died young, and left no heirs in the real world that could continue creating descendents.

"And this is why, had the two of you not come to me wanting a child of your own, I would have strongly suggested it myself." Dr. Finklestein shook his head. "I will see Halloween Town run to the ground before I see anyone but a Jack O'Lantern descendent on that throne. It is only your family that can do Halloween right!" He pounded the arm of his chair for emphasis.

There was silence for a moment. Sally looked at Jack, then back at Dr. Finklestein. "How do you know everything about everything?" She asked softly, almost reverently.

The Doctor jolted out of his reverie. "Ah yes, Sally dear. Well, it pays to be close personal friends with the Ruler of the Lands. You, Sally. Your soul was violently ripped from your body at a young age, and was bouncing about the World, confused and disoriented. I rescued your soul and built your new body around it. It sounds harder than it was," he added, noting Sally and Jack's intense confusion.

He decided to skip forward in his story. "Creating life, however, is infinitely more complex." He paused, considering how to word this explanation. "New souls are summoned to bodies by the act of… consummation." The Doctor grimaced at this. "It is the physical bonding between two humans in order to create life, to summon a new soul."

He noted, at this point, Sally's fierce blush, and Jack's smirk. They knew exactly what he was talking about. "This physical bonding is possible for you two, but simply for… ah, pleasure." Dr. Finklestein shook his head to banish the mental images that sprang up – Sally after all was, in a sense, his daughter – and attempted to continue. "However, being that you two are not technically alive, you cannot summon and house life."

The Doctor clapped his hands together. "But all is not lost!" He swept his hands out dramatically towards the strange looking machinery littered about the room, connected by low hanging wires that, every so often, sparked and fizzled. Sally and Jack inched forward on their chairs, still gripping each other's hands. Dr. Finklestein steered his chair towards the machine and touched it.

"I have designed a machine to catch a soul. And not just any soul – a new soul. Old souls, such as your own, Sally, are waiting for any old thing to save them from their confusing half life. It is relatively simple to catch one. A new soul – one that has no defining qualities – drifts about the World, waiting specifically for the act that will summon it. It's all very fussy, really. And I, after months of intensive research, have created a machine that shall be the substitute for that initial act of creation of life!" He looked positively delighted, and slightly spent.

Jack breathed. "How exceedingly complicated."

"Indeed."

"Where do we come in, exactly?"

The Doctor's eyes bugged slightly. "My boy, without the two of you, this whole process would not work! I need some of Sally's hair, and a chip off of one of your bones, Jack."

Sally grasped her hair instinctively. "Why?"

The Doctor looked gave a long-suffering sigh, opened his cranium, and scratched his brain wearily. "I shan't bore you with the details, as I have begun to confuse even myself by talking for so long." He snapped his head shut.

"Sufficit to say, I cannot summon a new soul without bits of yourselves, nor create a new body without it. For in this case, how the soul interacts with the samples of the two of you will determine gender, looks, personality, the like." He reached out to his work table and grabbed his scissors, a sharp piece of metal, and two bowls. "Here. Jack, use the metal to chip off some bone from your right forearm. I will be back in a moment. If I don't have a tea, I will most certainly fall asleep." He abruptly wheeled around and sped out of the room, startling Sally and Jack.

There was a pause. Jack turned to Sally. "Did you understand any of that?"

Sally shook her head. "But I trust him." Her hand dropped to the floor, its stitching having been nervously pulled out for the past half hour. She bent to pick it up, and reached into her pocket for her needle and thread. "Is this…" She paused. "I'm nervous, Jack. What if I can't do this?" Sally's hands shook as she tried to sew her hand back on.

Jack reached out and stilled her hands. Touching her face with a bony finger, he smiled. "You will be a wonderful mother, my Pumpkin Queen. I have no doubt about it. Just doubts about me," he said, attempting a shaky half-smile.

Sally smiled gently. "I hope it looks like you."

The two shared a long, tender look before Sally turned back to her hand, sewed it back on with a flourish, and grabbed the scissors. "Shall we?"

"We shall," Jack said dramatically, and swept the metal into his skeletal fist.

**A/N: Will the Doctor's invention work to make a baby for Jack and Sally? I know it was a bit confusing. But stick with it, it shall be great. Just had to get all the confusing explanations out of the way. And to anyone wondering, this story takes place 5 years after the events of NBC, and three after Sally and Jack's wedding. To be continued…**


	2. Beginning of the Beginning, Pt 2

_**Disclaimer: Nightmare Before Christmas is the property of Tim Burton, Disney, and Touchstone Entertainment. Nothing you recognize belongs to me. **_

"Of course if you like your kids, if you love them from the moment they begin, you yourself begin all over again, in them, with them, and so there is something more to the world again."  
- William Saroyan

There were not many moments in life that struck Sally as awe-inspiring.

She thought it too… intense a description to be used for simply any old thing. Sally preferred to keep her words simple, lest something truly magnificent and, yes, awe-inspiring, come along. What a shame it would be, to have already used the wonderfully descriptive word to, say, compliment the crispiness her toast, and then have something marvelous come along and have no way to express how she felt about it.

So that is why she was so dumbstruck at the sight of the very tiny person laying on the operating table. It felt as if Sally could comb over the entire dictionary and use every wonderful word she could find, and nothing could do it justice, except absolutely, positively awe-inspiring.

… Not to mention, slightly terrifying.

"So that's the body?" She whispered softly. "I had hoped it would look like Jack."

But somehow, despite this, Sally could not bring herself to be entirely disappointed. For there, lying helplessly on that table, was a very miniature version of herself – little stitches holding together the tiniest of blue limbs, whisper-thin lashes dancing over large closed eyes. Sally swore that the fuzz on its small, perfect head was even slightly reddish in color. There was something about seeing herself in this new person that was… mesmerizing.

"I did not choose the body, Sally dear. The soul chooses what the soul wants." Dr. Finklestein leaned back, and with a touch of pride, folded his arms across his front. "Do not ask me to explain to you how I knew what it wanted. We've waited long enough already."

It had been two days since Sally and Jack had given the Doctor parts of themselves, so that he could catch a new soul. Sally had barely been able to contain her enthusiasm; she had frittered about the house nervously, mopping, sweeping, tidying, and then doing it all over again. She became bored of that quite quickly, and had instead taken to detaching and re-stitching all her limbs. Jack, however, was unable to be quite this patient. Every hour, after having worn a path in the floor, he would sneak out of the house and knock on the Doctor's door, hoping for an update on his progress. This stopped abruptly when a furious Dr. Finklestein threw a very large beaker at Jack's head, shouting about interruptions and what he did to people who caused them. Jack then sat on a chair in the corner, until Igor rang their doorbell just this morning with "the news".

Jack! Sally had barely given him a second thought until just now. She tore her eyes away from the child and looked at her husband.

Jack was just standing there, a blank look on his face. He stood completely still, staring intently at the little body, for so long that Sally grew worried.

"Jack?" He didn't respond. She twisted her fingers. "Are… are you sad that it doesn't look like you?"

He was quiet and immobile for another long moment. All of a sudden, he gave his head a small shake and asked quietly, "Is – what kind of… is…?"

The Doctor chuckled. "A girl."

"A girl…" Jack breathed. He bent down ever so slowly; tentatively, so tentatively, he reached out a long finger and gently ran it down the baby's cheek. Sally waited breathlessly.

Jack broke out into a brilliant smile, and laughed unabashedly. "A girl! I have a baby girl. We have a baby girl!" He let out a loud whoop and proceeded swoop his wife up in his arms and twirl her about the room.

Sally shrieked and giggled like a giddy schoolgirl. The Doctor, however, drummed his fingers on the table impatiently. He cleared his throat. "If you could do the rest of us the pleasure of settling down, we can give your child the spark of life."

Jack stopped dancing instantly, and set Sally down, gripping her hands tight. He was still positively vibrating with excitement.

"Is the soul not in there already?" Sally questioned, still confused by the mechanics of this whole creating business.

Dr. Finkelstein sighed, and wheeled himself to a large switch beside the operating table. He reached out, turning to eye the shaking couple before him. "The soul is in there. We just need to wake it up. Now - are you ready?"

They nodded in tandem, barely having time to process everything that was happening. The Doctor blinked, yelled, "Stay back!", and proceeded to throw the switch.

The room's lights flashed once, and then again; a banging noise filled the room, growing steadily louder by the second. Sally pressed herself in close to Jack, who wound his arm around her shoulders. It was so very chaotic and frightening and Sally was on the verge of throwing her hands over her ears and shutting her eyes. She couldn't see what was going on, and she was afraid it was somehow hurting the baby.

And then there was silence. The lights shut off and the machine whirred to a stop noisily.

Sally leaned forward, peering into the darkness, feeling Jack do the same thing. _What if it didn't work?_

And then there was a soft sound, one that Sally felt like she had heard before, but could not place when or where. It sounded much like the noise a kitten would make. Suddenly, the noise hitched and turned into a full blown wail. The lights blinked on.

There her very alive daughter lay, waving her chubby arms in consternation, mouth stretched wide in an ear-splitting shriek. The tiny girl was gasping and hiccoughing and shaking, beautiful and full of life.

Sally, riding on a nearly involuntary instinct, stepped forward and very carefully picked up her little girl, rocking and shushing her. "It's okay, baby. It's okay."

The baby opened her big blue eyes and stopped crying. She stared at her mother wide –eyed, mouth forming a little "o" at the sound of Sally's voice.

_Why, this little one weighs nothing at all. She may well just blow away at the slightest breeze! _

Jack moved in close beside Sally, placing his arms on her shoulders. He spoke softly, and his voice was full of love. "Hello there, little… um…"

"Jill," whispered Sally. "It's the female version of the name Jack. At least, I think it is." She peered up at her husband. "Unless you don't like it?"

He was grinning widely, joy evident in every aspect of his person. "Jill Skellington. I would say it's a perfect name for a perfect daughter." Jack turned back to his daughter. "Hello, little Jill. I'm your daddy."

Jill's head turned shakily towards the new voice, and her eyes widened. She made a funny squeaking noise and twitched her arms, as if trying to grab whoever it was that was making noises.

Sally laughed and cried at the same time. She was in love. She was in love with a Pumpkin King and their little rag doll daughter, a sweet little Jill. It all felt so deliciously and insanely surreal.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt this family moment…"

Jack strode over to the little old man and shook his hands so hard that the Doctor could barely keep in his seat. "Oh thank you Doctor, thank you, thank you! She's perfect!"

The Doctor desperately tried to pry his hand out of Jack's vice-like grip, rather unsuccessfully. "Yes, yes, yes. I mean to give you something, boy, so I'll need my hand back!" Jack promptly dropped it and bounded back to Jill and Sally.

The Doctor picked something up from his work table, and made his way towards the young couple. He thrust the something into Jack's arms.

Jack looked at it for a moment. "A… manual?"

The Doctor nodded, a smirk growing on his face. "You're lucky, not many people get a manual for proper care of their children. I just happened to have enough time to write one for you."

Sally's jaw dropped, and Jack looked stunned. "This has to be at least ten pounds! I've never seen a book so huge."

"Better get reading, then, because…"

Out of the blue, the previously contented Jill's face scrunched up, her fists closed, and she let out an ear-piercing, bone-rattling shriek.

The Doctor chuckled. "You're going to need it."

**A/N: Aww. And so it begins… **

**Thank you for the wonderful reviews! I most certainly plan on continuing, and hopefully it'll take off like a vulture in the sky… heh. If you like it, feel free to pimp it! Much thanks! **


	3. Scream, Baby, Scream

_**Disclaimer: Nightmare Before Christmas is the property of Tim Burton, Disney, and Touchstone Entertainment. Nothing you recognize belongs to me. **_

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"Are you certain the two of you will be alright?"

"Of course! She's my daughter too." Jack lifted Jill from her spot on the floor. The child squealed and pumped her legs happily.

Sally smiled. "I'll only be at Dr. Finklestein's for a little while." She picked up her bag, and gave Jill a peck on the cheek, who was currently busying herself by poking her fingers into Jack's eye socket. "Bye, darling. And you too, Jack" Sally winked.

He gave her a playful smooch on the nose in response. His wife waved, and practically skipped out of the room.

_She's been cooped up in here too long, _thought Jack. He had, for the past few months, been wrapped up in plans for this year's Halloween Celebration, and therefore hardly ever at home with his new family. The Mayor had started his Holiday planning just after January, a few weeks after Jill was created, and he had been pressing Jack to join him in this over-obsessive habit – despite Jack's not-so-subtle reminders that the Pumpkin King had himself a little Pumpkin Princess that needed caring of. That's why the prospect of spending a whole afternoon with his rapidly growing daughter made him happy to no end. _No ghouls, guts, severed limbs, or easily excited Mayors. Just me and…_

"Jill, Jill, Jill. What to do today? We could read a story, or go for a walk, or…" Jack paused. Jill was sitting in his arms limply, staring at the place that Sally had vacated a few seconds earlier. She looked up at Jack, and, to his horror, Jack saw her lower lip began to tremble.

"Oh, no, dear, look, it's okay." He shifted his trembling daughter to his bony hip and tried bouncing her. She whimpered. He racked his brain desperately. "Look, Jill, look!" Placing Jill on a table, Jack hooked his fingers on either side of his mouth and pulled it open wide, making the funniest face he could think of, anything to distract her from her suddenly absent mother.

Jill took one look at her father's distorted face, opened her mouth wide, and wailed like a banshee.

Jack felt a moment of blind panic, and had to stop himself from running out of the house yelling for Sally. He took a deep breath. "Jill…"

But Jill wasn't listening. Her face was flushed and contorted frighteningly. _At least she'll be great at Halloween; that would scare the pants off of anyone, _mused Jack. Jill hiccoughed and continued screaming.

"Alright, darling, alright." Jack scooped her up from the table, and anxiously glanced around her bedroom. Her dolls (gifts from the Clauses) were scattered about the floor. He picked up a particularly large, brightly colored puppet and waved it in Jill's face. "Jill, don't be sad, be happy like me!" squeaked Jack, trying to work the mouth of the puppet with only one hand.

Jill was unimpressed, and batted the puppet off his hand and straight to the floor, her cries reaching a fevered pitch. Jack was finding it hard to keep a grip on the girl; her whole body was tensing up, and she was insisting upon kicking her legs irritably.

Jack felt like sitting on the floor and screaming too.

Jill proceeded to cry for the next half hour. Jack wearily bounced her from room to room; he consulted the manual, tried feeding her, burping her, changing her, and then consulted the manual again. It didn't help. He sang at the top of his lungs, made funny faces until his skull was sore; he even did gymnastics, all in a desperate attempt to distract the poor babe. Nothing seemed to be able to comfort her.

Jack was now sitting slouched down in his study, with Jill on his lap. Not only was he annoyed, but he was also slightly worried. _Can babies cry for this long? Is it healthy? Maybe she's not getting enough air. She's waving her limbs around so much I'm certain her stitching is about to come loose._

Mainly, though, Jack felt like a horrible father. He couldn't even soothe his upset child, something that Sally would have had no trouble with. And that thought made him miserable. _I don't know how I could have thought this would be so easy. _Suffice it to say, he had never experienced this feeling of absolute helplessness before. There was something so heart wrenching about hearing the cries of your child and not being able to do anything about it.

Jack let his head fall back, and he stared at the ceiling. "I'm sorry, Jill. I wish I knew what you wanted. I wish I had been there for you these past few months. I simply can't let the Mayor take advantage of my time. I have new priorities now. You are so important to me, love, and I want to know more about…" He stopped abruptly.

Something was missing. Jack listened for a moment. Silence.

Silence!

He whipped his head up and stared at the baby on his knee. Her entire body had stilled, tears still wet on her cheeks, and her face held a look of absolute awe.

Jack followed her stare, puzzled. She was looking at the desk raptly.

"What is it, Jill?" She reached out. Jack picked up a feather pen. She whimpered, and he hastily put it down. "Not that, I see." He scanned the desk again. A light dawned in his head. She was staring at the snow globe on the corner of his desk.

Jack picked it up and brought it near to Jill. She squealed happily and threw her hands in the air. Jack laughed, relieved. "I see we share an affinity for Christmas, little one!" He turned it upside-down, making the little world snow. Jill's eyes opened wide, and she looked at her father like he was some sort of god.

Jack grinned, suddenly very proud of his amazing parenting abilities. "If you like that, baby, you'll love this!" Placing Jill on the floor with the snow globe, Jack sprinted to the bookcase and lifted a dusty box, labeled 'Christmas Paraphernalia', off the very top. He placed it beside his daughter and lifted out a toy snowman.

Jill took one look at the snowman, and let out a huge laugh, a deep belly laugh that Jack had never heard from her before.

Jack was amazed. He had _never _heard her laugh like that! And he had made it happen! He himself laughed joyfully and waved the snowman around. Jill chortled even harder.

That did it. Jack proceeded to dump the entire contents of his box on the floor. He felt his own awe begin to build as he once again pored over all his favorite nick-nacks. At last, something he shared with his little girl. The thought made him positively giddy.

"You like Christmas, my little Princess? Then it is Christmas that you shall get!"

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"Jack? Jill?"

Sally entered the sprawling front foyer of the Skellington Mansion feeling a tad perplexed. She had left the Doctor's much later than she had intended, and had expected to come home to a house full of Jill's cries. It was Jill's grumpy time of night.

However, a peaceful silence filled every room of the building. It made her a little uneasy.

She searched every room on the bottom level. No crying baby, no desperate husband. Confused, and even more concerned, she took to the winding stairs. Jill wasn't in her room, either. Sally stood beside her crib, thinking.

Finally, a small noise broke the silence. It sounded like a sort of grunting. If Sally were to be frank, it sounded a tad like Jack's snores. She followed the noise to his study, and was met with the most delightfully surprising sight she had ever seen.

There was Jack, sleeping on his back on the floor, surrounded by a sea of red, white, and green. Electric lights on strings were lit and draped about the room, creating a peaceful ambiance, and a scraggly plastic Christmas tree was haphazardly thrown together in a corner.

Jack had a little stuffed snowman clutched in one bony hand, while the other rested on Jill, who was sleeping quite peacefully on her daddy's chest. Father and daughter looked so serene, sleeping there on the floor, that Sally had half a mind to leave them there.

She sighed tenderly, her hand over her heart, and smiled. _How could I ever have doubted him? _

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**A/N: Aw, teh cute. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do the next chapter. It'll be little Jill's first Halloween, and it has to be perfect! ;) Thanks for all the lovely reviews, all! Hope I continue to satisfy your Skellington needs. To be continued…**


	4. Dead Man's Party

_**Disclaimer: Nightmare Before Christmas is the property of Tim Burton, Disney, and Touchstone Entertainment. Nothing you recognize belongs to me. **_

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If Sally was completely honest with herself, she would probably admit to not liking Halloween as much as she should.

The absolute fact of the matter was, she simply wasn't scary enough to be much of a help. She had tried, a few years ago, to join the town in the Scaring. But after a frustrating evening, during which she earned more laughs than terrified screams, she decided (not without a little relief) that she wasn't up for the job. And truth be told, Sally didn't necessarily _enjoy_ scaring children. Striking fear into the hearts of others was not within her nature. She loved seeing smiles and hearing giggles over anything else.

Jack had, of course, been disappointed – he had even tried to coach her on her "technique" – but Sally quickly convinced him that she would be a better welcoming party at the end of the night. And not even Jack could argue with her End – of – Halloween Celebration refreshments.

So on Halloween Nights, Sally sat alone with her thoughts, usually darning a pair of Jack's socks or putting the finishing touches on her pumpkin spice cookies. While she was grateful for the time to herself, sometimes it was a little… lonely.

Luckily for her, this year was vastly different.

"Jill, if you don't stop squirming, I won't finish your costume in time," Sally murmured around a mouth-full of pins. Jill sat on the kitchen table, twisting and turning her body every which way. The fussy baby grimaced and flung her stuffed snowman, which she had dubbed "No-No", out of her hands. It sailed gracefully to the floor, landing at Sally's feet. Jill squawked and pointed at it. "Ah! Ah!"

Sally sighed, but couldn't help but smile as she bent to pick up the runaway toy. "I'll get that, shall I? I seem to be your servant lately."

Jill grabbed the snowman from her mother's outstretched hand and immediately stuffed it straight into her mouth, murmuring to herself cheerfully. Sally shook her head and continued cautiously mending her baby's costume.

She had decided it would be fitting for the little Pumpkin Princess to come to the Halloween parade dressed as… well, a little pumpkin. It was an utterly adorable sight to behold; the babe wore an orange jumper that Sally had stuffed, making it look round and full. To top it off, on Jill's head sat an orange hat with a green "stem" made of felt.

While Jill was most definitely the sweetest pumpkin Sally had ever seen, the costume didn't sit well with the baby. It made her new skill, crawling (of which Jill was immensely proud), nigh to impossible; even moving was difficult. Sally was determined to keep her baby in it, even if it meant mending it every five minutes (the stitching proved to be no match against Jill's incessant wriggling).

But Sally wouldn't complain; everything had to be perfect for tonight. She knew how excited Jack was for his daughter's first Halloween. Sally very nearly had to sew Jill to the floor to prevent Jack from sneaking off with her; they disagreed on how old a child needed to be to attend a Scaring, Sally being of the mindset that nine months was simply too young. And Sally knew her daughter all too well; she saw how easily Jill startled when something caught her off guard, saw her chin wobble when the Mayor suddenly switched faces, heard her whimper when she saw her father practicing for Halloween. Sally had a sneaking suspicion that Jill had more of Sally's own temperament when it came to such things than Jack's. She didn't want to see Jack disappointed - almost as much as she wanted to protect her child's delicate psyche.

At Jacks further prodding, however, Sally had relented, agreeing that Jill should attend the Halloween Parade. Perhaps the familiar faces of the residents of the town would put Jill at ease. _At least I hope so…_

"All done, love." Sally picked up her daughter and placed her on the floor. Jill sat there for a moment, puzzled as to how to maneuver around her now much wider girth, and resigned herself to simply rolling around the floor. This, however, proved to be much too much work. Jill ended up flat on her back underneath a chair, unwilling to continue rolling. "Ma. Ma! Mamama!"

Sally rolled her eyes. "You've rolled yourself there, let's see if you can get yourself out."

"Maa!"

While her daughter was otherwise incapacitated, Sally dashed about the kitchen, scooping up this and that for the parade, and finally tended to her frustrated Jill. Sally scooped her up in one arm, and a large crate of cookies in the other. "You're right, Jill," she murmured, awkwardly shifting her daughter on to her hip as they headed towards the door, "This costume is rather annoying."

"Ba."

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"_Boys and girls of every age_

_Wouldn't you like to see something strange?"_

"See, Jill? They're all singing the town anthem now. Daddy will be here soon." Sally anxiously bounced Jill on her hip, stroking her baby's dark red hair and pushing her fringe out of her eyes.

The poor thing wasn't faring very well. Halloween Town's usual gray, dull appearance had been transformed overnight into a cobweb filled, blood chilling nightmare. Jill had been bug eyed since they left the mansion, and had steadily grown edgy and nervous as she took in the decorations casting long, menacing shadows and heard the distant shrieks of children from far-away towns.

Jill continued to twitch her head in every direction, glancing around the town square, desperately trying to process and understand these new, unsettling sights. She was obviously not comfortable with seeing the people she knew look so different, so ominous and intimidating under the full October moon. It worried Sally. _If the scenery bothers her so much, what will happen when she sees her father on fire?_ Her stomach jumped nervously at the thought.

Eager to distract her child, Sally leaned in close to Jill's ear and, mustering the most soothing voice she could, sang along with the parade crowd.

"_Everybody scream, everybody scream_

_In our town of Halloween!"_

Jill continued to struggle fretfully.

"What a _doll!"_

"Such a sweet little fright!"

The witches, spying the little Skellington in her pumpkin suit, crowded around Sally and Jill, clucking and poking and pinching. Though normally a calm, people-friendly baby, Jill squeaked softly and buried her head in Sally's neck, knocking her pumpkin hat askew.

"Ooh," the two wizened women cooed in unison.

"What a dear!" the tallest one said, reaching out her arms. Jill let out another, louder squeak, and pressed her face even harder under Sally's chin.

Sally smiled apologetically. "She's shy." The witch's brow furrowed.

Fortunately, Sally was saved from saying anything else, as the song had reached its peak.

"_Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back_

_And scream like a banshee_

_Make you jump out of your skin!"_

Sally swelled with pride as her husband rode into view, dressed as a pumpkin-headed scarecrow, sitting atop a giant wooden horse. It never failed to delight her, to see Jack up there, the center of attention in a screaming, wailing crowd.

Jack swooped down and lifted a torch into the air. The crowd, knowing what came next, let out a deafening cheer as he set himself on fire and flailed and danced through the air gracefully.

Sally looked down at Jill. Her little face was terror-stricken as she watched the flaming man dance and blow flames, sparks flying every which way. Jill's eyes never left Jack as she attempted to decipher who this frightening stranger may be, even as he jumped into a well to douse the flames.

But as the flaming scarecrow disappeared and reappeared as her father in the blink of an eye, her soundless terror gave way to absolute shock. She jumped to watch her father rise slowly out of the well, like a corpse from the grave. Sally rubbed her back, whispering softly to her to try and knock her out of her stupor. But Jill seemed to barely register her mother's actions, so fixated was she on her father.

Sally grimaced._ Oh dear…_

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Jack opened his arms wide and grinned. "Another successful Hallooween!" He howled, cackling maniacally, relishing in the screams and cheers of the crowd. Yes, it had been a fantastic night, a Halloween that would prevent many little ones from sleeping for a good long time. Jack felt more on top of his game than he had in years, and he had no doubt as to the cause for this newfound excitement in his job.

He searched the throng of monsters and corpses for his family, and finally spotted them beside the Hanging Tree. Jack's heart filled to bursting (it seemed to do a lot of that lately) as he gazed at his lovely Sally, with her red hair tucked behind her ears and her cheeks flushed. And on her hip sat his beautiful little girl, decked out in – Jack chuckled to himself – a bright orange pumpkin costume. _How fitting! _He watched his tiny girl dig her face into Sally's neck. Grinning even wider, he reached his hand proudly out to his wife and baby.

Sally caught his gaze, and he saw a momentary glimmer in her eyes, almost a warning of sorts. But he had only a moment for it to register before Sally smiled and walked up to join Jack in the center of the square.

Jack wrapped a long arm around Sally's shoulder as the crowd hollered. He leaned down eagerly in order to take Jill, to swing her high for the world to see, so proud was he of his new family.

Which is why he was more than a little surprised when she burst into tears.

The skeleton straightened up immediately, more than a little hurt. His daughter's face was contorted in an emotion he knew all too well – fear. She was shaking, clinging to her mother's patchwork frock. Jack's hurt immediately morphed into concern.

The crowd before him was murmuring, quite puzzled at the sight of the terrified baby and her befuddled father. Sally immediately turned to them, still bouncing the squalling Jill on her hip, and joked, "You all are truly frightening this year; the best I've ever seen you – to be able to scare a Skellington!"

The residents of the town laughed uproariously, and began to talk amongst themselves eagerly, reminiscing about the night's success.

Jack nodded briefly at Sally, relieved that she had distracted everyone, and then bent eye to eye with Jill. She had stopped crying but was still moving her legs as if trying to get away. She shot her dear old dad a look that was wavering somewhere between fear and betrayal.

Jack frowned. "What's the matter with her?"

Sally shook her head. "She's a child, Jack, she's bound to be a little afraid at the sight of her daddy on fire. The whole night has been unsettling for her. I think she's more like me than just in appearances," she said, sighing softly.

Jack's frowned deepened, and his heart sunk a little at this piece of news. "She shouldn't have come tonight, then, she's too young." At this, Sally's eyebrow raised.

The angular skeleton smiled slightly. "Yes, dear, you were right. As usual." He gave her a tender kiss. "It was wonderful, you two there in the crowd. I just wish Jill wasn't afraid of me now."

Sally gently pulled Jill away from her, and placed her in Jack's arms. "It will pass. Just talk to her. I have to go… mingle. Queenly duties, you know," she said with a wink.

He laughed as Sally drifted charmingly away and was immediately accosted by a throng of gossiping women. Jill however, was determinately twisting her face away from Jack's, sniffling softly. "Maaa!" she sobbed, reaching away and flexing her fingers.

"Jill…" Jack spoke delicately, in a low, soothing voice. "It's just me, it's just Daddy."

Jill stopped writhing, and turned her tear-rimmed blue eyes slowly towards Jack. She hiccoughed. "Da?"

"Yes, it's just Daddy, just silly Daddy." Jack smiled at her and touched her nose lightly. Jill cocked her head, still the picture of seriousness.

"Si-ee Da." The baby repeated solemnly, her brow furrowed. She tentatively poked her little finger into Jack's eye socket – her favorite game. Satisfied that this was indeed her father, and that he was no longer sheathed in flames, Jill wrapped her arms around his bony neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

Jack resisted the urge to heave a huge sigh of relief, careful not to disturb this delicate embrace, and patted her back. "Not the most wonderful first Halloween, is it, love?"

Jill lifted her head and pointed around at the many decorations. She prattled on in baby-gibberish, telling her father a story he couldn't understand; however, he bobbed his head like he knew exactly what she meant. Jack knew by now that some of the sweetest conversations did not have to be communicated through words.

The Pumpkin King hoisted his babbling daughter onto his shoulders and made his way back to his Queen, happiness and pride slowly flowing back to him. Tonight didn't play out exactly how he had imagined it, but nothing ever went according to plan anymore. Not that he entirely minded. He was willing to sacrifice his vision for the things that were important to him. Perhaps he would have to square with the fact that his daughter was not going to be the best scarer.

As if she were reading his mind, Jill shrieked happily and threw her hands in the air, a near perfect imitation of her father's favorite scaring pose. Jack smirked.

_Then again… there's always next year…_

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**A/N: Holy long chapter, Batman! Hope you all got through that without drifting off. I tried to do Jill's first Halloween justice. Was it to your liking? Now that we've visited enough with the First Family (hee) I think it's time to see a little more of the other residents of Halloween Town. Who would you all like to see?**

**Oh! And I was just wondering how many of you had Livejournal – and if you do, would you enjoy it if I started mine up and posted story-related things there? I was thinking of even doing previews and such. Mm? Mm? Think about it. ;) Oh, and all of your reviews are fantastic, and I'll continue to reply to them when I can. Thanks to all!**

**To be continued…**


	5. A Yucky Christmas

_**Disclaimer: Nightmare Before Christmas is the property of Tim Burton, Disney, and Touchstone Entertainment. Nothing you recognize belongs to me. **_

_**A/N: This takes place a few years after the last chapter.**_

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Jill loved Christmas.

It made her very happy; there were lots of pretty twinkling lights everywhere, and they reminded her of the stars she saw on her nighttime walks with Daddy, but unlike the ones in the sky these ones twinkled at her from inside the Christmas tree. Sometimes she liked to just stare at them and make her eyes go all blurry, so that the lights split in two and grew until they were all she could see.

Mommy didn't like it when she did that; Mommy said that if she stared at the light too much it would hurt her retimas, or something. Jill didn't know what those were, so she did it anyways.

Jill liked Christmas because everyone seemed nicer and brighter and happier. Most of the people that her Daddy talked to were usually very scary. One man even had a very big sharp thing sticking out of his forehead.

Jill told him about it one day (just in case he had forgot it was there), but he didn't take it out; he just stared at her and drooled. That night Jill couldn't sleep very well because she dreamt she had things sticking out all over her body, but Mommy told her that would never happen because Jill knew better than to play with things that were sharp. Mommy always knew everything; she also smelled like pretty soap when she hugged you. Jill liked Mommy very much.

Jill also liked Daddy – he was funny. But he was even funnier when it was Christmastime. He read to her from a big book all about Uncle Sandy and what he did on Christmas Eve, and he got so excited that he would drop the book and pretend to be Uncle Sandy. Daddy even said that he was Uncle Sandy for a night, but Jill didn't believe him, 'cause if he were Uncle Sandy, he wouldn't be Daddy. And you can't stop being who you are. Jill knew this for a fact, because once, after a visit at Uncle Sandy's house, she decided she really wanted to be a reindeer. Daddy said it was impossible because she couldn't fly. So Jill jumped off of her Daddy's work table to prove that she could, too. Daddy wasn't very happy when he came in and found his chalkboard all broken and Jill lying on top of it. Jill wasn't happy either – her foot had fallen off.

But Jill was happy now, because it was going to be Christmastime again. It would be her fourth one ever. She couldn't really remember the first one, or the second one, but she knew that this year would be even better than all the others. Her Mommy and Daddy and been so jumpy lately, like Jill was when she was waiting for something but didn't want to be waiting, so she moved around a lot. Mommy called it having the wiggles.

So Jill just knew that if Mommy and Daddy had the wiggles, that something very, very important had to happen soon. And Jill was eager to know what it was.

She was sitting with Mommy in the living room and playing with No-No, waiting for Daddy to come home and read to her the story of the green man who didn't like Christmas, when Daddy ran in like he was being chased by someone. Jill held out her hands to be picked up, but Daddy didn't even see. He went right past her and knelt down beside Mommy and whispered something in her ear.

This made Jill mad – not only did Daddy forget to give her a hug, he was telling secrets. And secrets were rude because they made people feel left out. She crossed her arms, put on her mad face, and watched Daddy.

He kept on whispering in Mommy's ear. Suddenly Mommy smiled so big that Jill thought she would break her stitches. "Are you sure?" said Mommy. Daddy nodded. Jill felt this was a good time to get his attention.

"Daddy, you didn't hug me." Jill stuck out her bottom lip for emphasis.

He noticed her sitting there, and reached out his long arms. "Come here darling. How could I _ever _forget my precious girl?" Daddy threw her so high into the air that Jill felt her tummy move into her throat, just like when she missed a step going down stairs. She giggled and held out her arms like she was flying.

Daddy swooped her close to the floor just like he was going to drop her and she let out a shriek. "Daddy, don't drop me!"

Daddy laughed and sat on a chair, placing Jill on his knee. "Jill, my love, I have something very important to ask you."

Jill knew that Daddy wanted to be serious now, because he was using his serious voice. She nodded and looked right into his eye sockets, just like grown-ups do.

Daddy paused, and then asked, "Jill, are you a big girl?"

Now this just was silly, because Daddy _knew _she was a big girl. Jill sat up really straight and said, "Yes I am!" in a deep voice, just so Daddy could tell. He might have forgotten. Mommy said that happened sometimes when Daddy had a lot on his mind. This meant that sometimes Daddy thought so many thoughts that all of his Jill thoughts left his brain. Jill tried not to have hurt feelings when this happened. "I'm almost four years old, Daddy, remember?"

Daddy smiled. "Oh, I remember, Jill. I'm asking you because I have something very important to tell you, something that I couldn't tell to a little girl because she might not have understood. So I had to make sure."

Jill shifted slightly. Daddy's knee was sharp and it hurt her bottom. She really wanted to sit on Mommy's lap.

"Jill, do you know what being a big sister means?"

Mommy had been explaining that to her a lot lately. It meant that there was another little baby that was Mommy and Daddy's, and that Jill had to help the baby to play and be friends with it. Jill didn't much like the idea – she had seen pictures of herself as a baby and she had a very big head and couldn't even walk. How can a baby play if it couldn't walk? It sounded very boring. Jill had wanted him to say something about Christmas coming instead, because that would have been fun. But she didn't tell Daddy that. She nodded once again.

Daddy smiled very big, so big that his smile almost took up his entire face. "That's good Jill, because you are going to be one!" He said this very quick, as if he had been holding it in all day and was very excited to say it. Jill looked over at Mommy. She was smiling almost as big as Daddy was.

Jill really wanted to say that she didn't want a boring baby in the house. What if Mommy and Daddy spent more time with the baby than her? But she couldn't tell them that because they were very happy. So Jill smiled. "Okay, Daddy. What kind?"

Daddy looked confused for a moment, and then chuckled. "Oh! A boy. You'll have a baby brother."

Jill frowned. "A boy… just like Lock and Barrel?" They were yucky and smelled like dirt.

"No!" Daddy said quickly. He paused again. "No. Not like them. They're… well, not like them."

Mommy spoke up. "We're going to go to Dr. Finklestein's to see the baby. Would you like to come?"

Jill thought for a moment. "Will he give me a sucker like always?"

Mommy and Daddy laughed again. They were laughing a lot but nothing seemed very funny. "Of course, dear." Mommy said softly.

"Alright," Jill agreed. Maybe this day would be good after all.

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"Jill, I want you to meet your brother – Johnny."

Jill crept forward towards Mommy, still sucking on her yellow lolly. In Mommy's arms was what looked like a bundle of blankets, except the blankets were moving. Mommy leaned down and Jill stood on her tiptoes to look.

The baby didn't look like Jill or Mommy. The baby looked a lot like Daddy, 'cept a lot smaller. It turned to look at Jill, and made a funny squeaking sound, drool coming out of its mouth. Jill scrunched up her nose. Boys were very yucky.

Dr. Finklestein, who was standing just behind Jill, spoke up. "He's a nice piece of work, isn't he, dear? All my doing, of course." He patted her very hard on the head and she tried her hardest not to rub it afterwards.

Daddy came over to look at the baby. He put his arms around Mommy, still smiling just like he was at the house. Jill very desperately wanted him to hold her and for the stupid baby to go away so that everything could be normal and so that Christmas would be just for her and Mommy and Daddy. She looked at Daddy, panicked. "Will Baby take my presents this year?" Her lip trembled.

All the adults in the room laughed, and Jill felt a tear run down her cheek.

"Of course not!" Daddy finally noticed she was upset, and came over and hugged Jill very tight. Jill relaxed just a little, but her tummy hurt, and something told her that things were going to be different, and it made her very sad.

Suddenly the baby started screaming, and Jill plastered her hands over her ears. Her lollipop got stuck in her hair, and she wanted to cry again. Daddy was trying to tell her something, but she wasn't listening.

That stupid baby was going to ruin everything – she could just tell.

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A/N: Hey y'all! Sorry, guys, it has been a long time since I've updated. Thank you for the reviews, they have been making my life lately. Bloody college. For some reason this chapter took a long time to churn out and it isn't even that long. Sigh. I hope I didn't confuse y'all with the jump in time, but this story is really going to start rolling now that we have another little Skellington. I hope I did Jill's POV justice. Until next time…


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